(HealthDay)—Pioglitazone may not be effective for lowering blood glucose levels, although it is associated with slight improvement in liver function, in lipoatrophic diabetes induced by juvenile dermatomyositis, according to a case report published online Sept. 12 in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation.

Yusuke Baba, M.D., from the Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan, and colleagues present a case of lipoatrophic diabetes induced by juvenile dermatomyositis. A 19-year-old male was admitted for treatment of poorly controlled diabetes; he had been diagnosed with juvenile dermatomyositis at age 3, and was diagnosed with diabetes at age 9.

The authors note that pioglitazone improved slightly, although it was not effective for lowering , with no change seen in blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c levels. Metreleptin was only administered for a short period, and consequently its effectiveness could not be ascertained. Burned-out nonalcoholic steatohepatitis was revealed on .

"Our results indicate that the successful treatment of lipoatrophic diabetes induced by juvenile dermatomyositis requires an early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention," the authors write.

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